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Photo by DON PETERSEN | Special to The Roanoke Times. A Cat Whisker bloom at the butterfly garden in the Science Museum of Western Virginia.

Beauty comes at a cost.

The Science Museum of Western Virginia moved about 30 varieties of plants into its future butterfly garden at Center in the Square Friday, a major step in creating a livable habitat for the fluttering occupants to come.

“This is the first living organism to be introduced into the exhibit,” said Derek Kellogg, the museum’s lead animal care specialist.

“It’s great to have everything coming together,” he said, but it also heralds the start of a hectic schedule that involves giving the plants time to cycle pesticides out of their systems, acquiring necessary permits from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and shipping in butterfly pupae in time to have a lively population when the exhibit opens.

The plan is to have the butterfly garden ready for Center in the Square’s May 18 grand reopening, said museum spokesman Michael Hemphill.

The science museum will charge separate admission for the butterfly garden — at present, prices are expected to be $4, members $2 — in order to help with the maintenance expense . The museum will also seek sponsorships for that purpose, Hemphill said.

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